Title

Authors

Faculty Sponsor

Shirvel Stanislaus

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Physics and Astronomy

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

5-3-2014

Abstract

Cosmic rays are high-energy charged particles that enter the Earth’s atmosphere from space. The cosmic ray particles, specifically muons and electrons, interact with matter through electromagnetic forces. Measurements are taken to determine the energy spectrum of these incoming cosmic rays and its variance with the angle of these rays. The experimental setup is composed of two plastic scintillators and a NaI detector programmed into coincidence with each other. The plastic scintillators have been set up in both horizontal and vertical orientations and are used to measure the direction of the incoming cosmic rays, while the NaI detector measures the energy deposited by the cosmic ray in the detector. Data is currently being taken and the completed results will be presented.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Laura Mattson is a senior majoring in physics and Chinese and Japanese studies and minoring in mathematics. She is also a member of Christ College.